CLDs at risk after Quebec transfers responsibility to municipalities

CBC

The future of Quebec’s Local Development Centres (CLDs) — the organizations that offer advice and financial guidance to entrepreneurs — is in jeopardy.

CLDs are currently funded by the provincial government, but Quebec recently announced it wants to hand that responsibility over to municipalities, as part of its plan to decentralize regional governance.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said he will be able to cope with the new responsibility without cutting services or raising taxes.

But authorities in Longueuil and Laval have said on Wednesday they cannot afford to take over responsibility for CLDs without raising taxes or cutting services.